I’ve heard a couple people say that they’d never allow SEO copywriters to choose campaign keyphrases.

My first question was, “Why not?”

And then I got to thinking.

It’s true that not all SEO copywriters are considered equal. Some SEO copywriters are brand-new to the field and don’t, as my father used to say, “Know their butt from third base” (actually, he used a different word than “butt” — but you get the idea.) Green, inexperienced and don’t know what they don’t know, these SEO copywriters do serve a purpose. And that purpose does not include keyphrase or content development strategy.

Other SEO copywriters are highly-skilled SEOs themselves. These copywriters “get” SEO’s marketing, technical and direct response requirements. You’ll see these savvy SEO copywriters successfully research (and choose) keyphrases, fry them up in a SEO copywriting pan, and never, ever let you forget your conversion plan. Yes, I would trust these copywriters to set my keyphrase research strategy. In fact, depending on who I was working with, I may trust the copywriter more than the SEO of record.

SEO copywriters offer more than pretty words and high-positioning text.Beginner SEO copywriters are great for easy projects: blog posts, some article writing, some product descriptions. Expert copywriters often partner with businesses long-term, helping them set SEO and content strategies. And “middle-of-the-road” copywriters are great for some projects — and not for others.

So, how do you choose what skill level fits your needs?

During the next few blog posts, we’ll be deconstructing the SEO copywriter’s job and discussing the best skill set for your next project.You’ll learn when “cheap and dirty” SEO copywriting will fit your needs — and when paying top dollar is well worth it.